McDonald’s is no longer offering its plant-based burger after a six month trial.
Last year, the fast food chain had partnered with Beyond Meat to launch a 12 week trial of the P.L.T. (plant, lettuce, tomato) in select restaurants in Ontario to gather feedback for other restaurants around the world.
McDonald’s had extended their test run of the P.L.T. for another 12 weeks to more restaurants in Ontario in January this year. The trial then ended in April with no announcement from McDonald’s.
When Radio Canada International reached out to McDonald’s, a spokesperson for the company said that there had been no change in the relationship between McDonald’s and Beyond Meat.
“We’re evaluating learnings from our recent test to inform future menu options,” a McDonald’s spokesperson said. “As we look ahead, we will plan to bring plant-based options to the menu at the right time for customers in individual markets.”
They added that there are no updates or any specific plans for plant-based burger offerings at the moment.
“We can only comment generally and share that we were pleased with the test,” Shira Zackai, a spokesperson for Beyond Meat, told CBC News.
The P.L.T. wasn’t McDonald’s first foray into a meat-free menu item. In June 2002, McDonald’s introduced the McVeggie Deluxe, a soy-based patty, but later pulled it from sale in 2005 due to soft sales.
Radio Canada International reached out to Beyond Meat for further comments but they did not respond by press time.
Another chain restaurant, Tim Horton’s, also recently ended a trial run with Beyond Meat.
A spokesperson for Tim Horton’s told the Canadian Press at the time that there wasn’t enough demand for the Beyond Meat breakfast sandwiches.
With files from CBC News Sophia Harris, and The Canadian Press
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